It is the third time in as many years that the Little Giants have traveled to Oberlin only to come away with a loss. Saturday’s defeat came despite a 30-point, 15-rebound effort by senior forward Joe DesJean (Indianapolis, IN/Perry Meridian). The problem for Wabash came on the defensive end of the floor.
Wabash came into Saturday’s game as the top three-point defensive team in the conference, allowing opponents to hit just 25-percent of their three-point shots. Combine that defensive pressure with Oberlin’s 25-percent shooting for the season from behind the arc and it would be surprising to see the long-range shot make the difference in the game.
But that’s exactly what happened. The Yeomen connected on 11 treys to shoot 47.8-percent from the arc to earn their second win of the season, their first in the NCAC this year.
Wabash trailed by as many as seven points in the first half before tying the game at 30-30 with two minutes left in the opening period on a DesJean jumper. Baskets by DesJean and Brady Claxton (Shelbyville, IN/Shelbyville) allowed the Little Giants to enjoy a four-point halftime lead. A small run by Oberlin was answered by Wabash, keeping the lead at four points with 14 minutes left in the contest. The Yeomen slowly cut into the Wabash lead over the next four minutes, tying the score at 56-56 before the offensive explosion began.
Oberlin went on a 10-2 run over the next six minutes to take an eight-point lead in front of their home fans. Wabash cut the lead to five on a three-point play by Eric Buck (Indianapolis, IN/Cardinal Ritter), but a 6-1 run on three-pointers by Jon MacDonald put the game on ice for the Yeomen.Oberlin connected on free throws down the stretch as the Little Giants were forced to foul in the final minutes, paving the way to the 87-78 final score.
Wabash hit 30 field goals compared to the 29 shots made by Oberlin, but the Yeomen’s 11 threes compared to only four for the Little Giants. Of Oberlin’s 15 second-half baskets, nine came from beyond the arc.
Claxton finished with 17 points for Wabash. Buck tossed in 10 points. Five Oberlin players scored in double figures, led by the 21-point effort of Djordje Eremic from the bench. Brandon Crawford added 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Wabash falls to 14-8 with the loss, 8-6 in the NCAC. The Little Giants also drop into a tie for third place with Ohio Wesleyan in the conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season. The Little Giants will play their final regular season home game on Wednesday night against Wittenberg University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The seven senior players on the Wabash squad will be recognized prior to the start of the contest.